Volunteers heart of relief

Nov. 8, 2012

Manasquan, NJ Hurricane Sandy: SANDY110512 (R) Dave Wilenta of Manasquan and Ray Schucht of Brick unload a tractor trailer of food, water and clothing from Pittsburg at the First Presbyterian Church in Manasquan 11/05/12 PHOTO: TOM SPADER

Volunteers work at the St. Gregory Food Pantry in Point Pleasant Beach. / PHOTO: STEPHEN EDELSON

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POINT PLEASANT BEACH — A cool rain was already falling on the seemingly endless piles of curbside debris east of the railroad tracks, the first signs of the impending nor’easter, as breakfast was winding down in the Point Pleasant Beach Fire Company No. 2.

It was Napoleon who observed that an army travels on its stomach, and that’s pretty much the case for a cadre of volunteers and civil servants.

Behind the counter in the kitchen, Sabrina Fioretti, a 20-year veteran of the borough’s first aid squad, is less than four hours into a 12-hour shift. She’s been at it since the Saturday before superstorm Sandy struck, first responding to calls during the hurricane itself, before settling in, helping prepare food and organize donations.

“Everyone’s just doing whatever we have to do,” said Fioretti, whose husband, Michael, is also a first-aider.

It’s the legions of committed, organized volunteers, with the ability to shift into crisis mode and run on adrenaline for weeks at a time, who are the underpinnings of disaster relief in any area, and the post-superstorm Jersey Shore is no different.

A few blocks away, at St. Gregory’s Food Pantry at St. Mary’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sue Deitz is a nonstop dynamo, serving as the maestro over a chaotic scene in the cramped hallway connecting rooms filled with clothes, coats and comforters, baby supplies and food stocks.

As one person after another approaches her in search of instruction, she keeps the flow of goods to families who are in need and waiting for assistance going, directing drivers to help shuttle them home or deliver supplies to other shelters.

“It’s difficult for everyone, isn’t it? But you just roll with it,” said Deitz, one of St. Gregory’s directors, who begins to get emotional talking about the past 10 days.

“(Tuesday) you could hardly walk in here the stuff was piled so high and we had very few volunteers, because many of them have their own things they have to deal with. We were overwhelmed. That’s when the Marlboro Little League walks in to help.”

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And then she lost it altogether.

Back at Company No. 2, Fioretti does some organizing in the kitchen as she says goodbye to several workers.

While her home did not sustain any damage, she said it wouldn’t have mattered. She’d have been working her shift anyway, using the rest of her waking hours cleaning and rebuilding.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the effort has been seeing the impact the storm had on family, friends and neighbors, with Fioretti having been a resident since her family moved here when she was in seventh grade.

“Your training just kicks in and I think it will affect people later,” Fioretti said. “All those things will hit home a week from now. Everybody is still working so hard. We were getting ready to gear down and get back to normal, and now the nor’easter is coming.”

The lasting impression from all this, however, won’t be the sight of the devastation along the beachfront, but rather the incredible generosity of local residents and complete strangers.

“We’ve had people who went to BJ’s, filled up their cars with supplies and drove up from Maryland,” Fioretti added. “People have been dropping off homemade soups and someone just brought in macaroni and cheese for lunch. The community has been fantastic. We’re overflowing with donations, which will go to St. George’s, but we’ll probably end up storing them here because they’re full.”

Added Deitz: “The generosity has been overwhelming, and the devastation has also been overwhelming.”

As dire as the pre-Sandy predictions were, it was difficult to foresee the type of impact it had up and down the coast.

But it’s comforting to know that an infrastructure built on volunteerism and charity are in place to help ease the burden, no matter what the situation.